Process and apparatus for cracking petroleum oil



G. EGLOFF Oct. 10, 1933.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CRACKING PETROLEUM OIL Original Filed Oct. 171923 W 4 H man A i, w fA u W W 4 CQ\ IW. V n. m W Y mi 1 m\ A@ .......Mm, bmw www \Y\hm.m.fw\mnu \\1\ l OQAWU. @.1 Q

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Patented Oct. 10,1933

UNrrso STATES PROCESS AND APPARATUS .FOR CRACKING PETROLEUM OIL GustavEgloi, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Universal Oil Products Company,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of South Dakota Application October 17,

1923, Serial N0. 668,979

Renewed March 17, 1932 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in process and apparatus ofcracking petroleum oil, and refers more particularly to a novel methodof cracking at different temperatures different con-V stituents of theoil. It is well known that reflux condensate, i. e. already cracked oil,necessitates more severe conditions of cracking when it is recrackedthan does the original charging stock. The object of the presentinvention is to accomplish this in an effective manner.

The invention will be understood from the following description,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which the singlefigure represents a somewhat diagrammatic view partly in side elevationand partly invertical section of an improved and novel apparatus.

Re crring to the drawing (l) designates the furnace having baffle wall(2) below which is mou heating coil (3). Above the wall (2) is mounted astill of a shell like type (4) to which is connected the coil (3) bymeans of pipe (5), having throttle valve (6). The shell 4 is providedwith a residue drawoff pipe (7) having throttle valve (8) To the upperend of the shell is connected a vapor pipe (9) having throttle valve(10) which communicates with the lower end of the dephlegmator (11)having superimposed baffles (l2) Vapors pass out of the top of thedephlegmator through pipe (13) having throttle valve (14) to condensercoil (15) and thence tovreceiver (16), which receiver (16) has pressurecontrol valve (17) and liquid drawoif control valve (18). The refluxcondensate is drawn off from the K bottom of the dephlegmator throughpipe (19) and thence forced by reflux pump (20) into the inlet of theheating coil (3). If desired, the pump may be bypassed through pipe (21)by suitably controlling the valves (22) and (23) in pipe (21) and thevalves (24) and (25) von either side of the pump.

The raw charging stock is fed by a pump (26) from any suitable source ofsupply through pipe (27) to the perforated pipe (28) extending into theshell and having the horizontally extending perforated branches (29) and(30)-the former lying in the vapor space of the shell and the latteralong the lower side in the liquid part of the shell. Both the pipes(29) and (30) are perforated at the bottom so as to supply the oildownwardly. y

In operating the process the oil initially enters the shell (4) where itis subjected to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure, as forexample, 100 pounds or more pressure and heated to an oil temperature of850 F. more or less. The generated vapors pass into the dephlegmatorWhere the heavier portions are condensed and returned as refluxcondensate to the coil (3). Here the reflux condensate oil subjected tothe same Y pressure as in the shell may be heated to a temperature ofsay 925 F. or more. Also, if desired the reflux condensate may besubjected to a higher pressure than the oil in the still, which Will beaccomplished by using the reiiux pump (20) and suitably controlling thevalve (6) The idea of ,the invention it will be seen is to subject thereflux lcondensate from the dephlegmator to more severe conditions ofcracking than is necessary to subject the raw oil.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for continuous cracking of hydrocarbon oil thecombination of a furnace and a heating coil mounted therein, a shellmounted above the furnace, means for continuously introducing raw oilinto the shell; said means includ-.

ing means for discharging a portion of the raw oil into the vapor spacein said shell and a second portion into the oil body in said shell belowthe surface thereof; means for taking off vapors from the shell andsubjecting them to reflux condensing action; means for passing refiuxcondensate only through said coil and means for regulating'the pressureon the oil in the coil independently of the pressure on the oil in theshell.

2. A process of cracking petroleum oil consisting in passing the oil inthe form of a spray'into a shell; a portion of the oil being injectedinto the liquid oil body in said shell and the remaining portion intothe vapors in the shell, removing the generated vapors from the shelland subjecting them to a reux condensing action; passing the refluxcondensate through a heating coil located in a furnace and subjectingsuch reflux condensate to higher temperature and pressure than that towhich the oil in the shell is subjected.

3. A continuous process for cracking hydrocarbon oil, consisting inmaintaining a body of oil under cracking conditions of temperature andpressure in an enlarged zone, in passing vapors evolved from said bodyof oil to a dephlegmator, wherein the insuiiiciently cracked fractionsare condensed, forming reflux condensate, in passing such refluxcondensate, free from additional oil, through a heating zone, wherein itis raised to a cracking heat, in delivering such heated refluxcondensate into the body of oil in said enlarged zone, in continuouslyadmitting charging oil directly into said enlarged reaction zone, to beheated by the reflux condensate introduced thereto, discharging aportion of said charging oil into the vapor space above said body of oiland another portion of said charging oil into said body of liquid oilbelow the surface thereof and in maintaining a regulatedsuperatmospheric pressure on the oil undergoing conversion in the yprocess.

GUSTAV EGLOFF.

